Toward Main Chain Metallo‐Terpyridyl Supramolecular Polymers: “The Metal Does the Trick”

Abstract

Metallo‐supramolecular chemistry offers possibilities for the construction of stimuli‐responsive polymeric materials where the environment can have a large impact on the reversibility and strength of interactions between the individual components. The potential of manipulating the strength of the intermolecular non‐covalent bonds can result in impressive modifications of the metallo‐supramolecular structure and, subsequently, produces changes in the properties of the designed material. The present feature article provides an overview on recent developments in the field of metallo‐polymerization of chelating terpyridyl and analogues ligands. Synthetic strategies are described followed by a discussion regarding the characterization and the application of the reviewed metallo‐supramolecular structures, mainly based on terpyridines.